In which Mr. Peter Guralnick explains how Sam Phillips is like Walt Whitman, Ms. Laurel Snyder tells us not to kid ourselves about our kids, and Mr. Jake Adam York says grace by writing a poem about barbecue.

It's still early in the holiday season, and thus her ladyship, the editor, is certain that her readers still have plenty of shopping to do. She is equally certain that much of that shopping will be done at their favorite local bookstores. After all, great readers have a duty to create other great readers by waving books in front of them at every opportunity chanting the magic phrase "you've got to read this!"

If you didn't manage to finish your holiday book shopping last weekend during Small Business Saturday, then make time to do so this coming Saturday, December 5th, during Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day

The mystery writer Jenny Milcham came up with the idea for Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day back when her children were young and she was taking them to every story time she could find at her neighborhood bookshops.

"Did all children know the pleasure of spending time in a bookstore? I wondered. Of being drawn into a magic world for a while, then being left to choose treasures on the shelf? I wanted to begin a holiday that would expose as many kids as possible to this joy."

What started as a small grassroots project has become an international movement. Here's a link to a map of participating bookstores in the United States. Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day is all about introducing children to the pleasures of time spent in a bookstore, helping them to become supporters of their local economies at an early age and cultivating a lifetime love of reading. But not all children are able to experience these joys--with one in five kids in the U.S. "food insecure," owning a book can be an unheard of luxury. Jenny's dream is to make TYCBD a day in which every child can take part.

For the rest of the month, her ladyship will be passing along gift and book suggestions from Southern booksellers in the Holiday Gift Guide. Something for everyone on your list (not to mention a few things that would be great presents for yourself)!

Read independently. And shop local.

her ladyship, the editor

Lady Banks' Pick of the Week

Lady Banks' Commonplace Book

Noteworthy poetry and prose from her ladyship's bedside reading stack.

Sam Phillips

I met Sam Phillips in a flood (see chapter 9), and as I wrote at the time, from that first meeting his words had all the weight of vatic truth. He seemed like an Old Testament prophet to me, in both looks and manner. Or, as singer-songwriter John Prine said, in describing his own first meeting with Sam: his eyes would grow wide, "like fire and brimstone. It looked like his eyebrows and his eyes themselves were on fire--they were just wild--you'd swear that his hair would kind of get curly, and his hands moved like a preacher's."

I mean, it was something!

. . .

"Nothing passed my ears. A mockingbird or a whippoorwill -- out in the country on a calm afternoon. The silence of the cottonfields, that beautiful rhythmic silence, with a hoe hitting a rock every now and then and just as it spaded through the dirt, you could hear it. That was just unbelievable music: to hear that bird maybe three hundred yards away, the wind not even blowing in your direction, or no wind at all. But it carried, it got to my ears. I would head somebody speak to a mule harshly, I head that. I mean, I head everything. It wasn't any time until I began to observe people [too], more by sound -- I certainly didn't know what to do with everything I heard, but I knew I had something that could be an asset if I could just figure out what to do with it."

Gifts for everyone on your list, including yourself! As suggested by Southern Indie Booksellers

Along with all of the food and family fellowship, Thanksgiving also ushers us into the mad frenzy of Christmas shopping. As things get kicked off this weekend, here are a few lovely holiday books to add to your mantle this year and a few others that will put you into the perfect holiday spirit!

The Nutcracker's Night Before Christmas

Author Keith Brockett and illustrator Joseph Cowman have delivered a delightful spin to this classic story where the preparations for a stage production of the Night Before Christmas appear to be doomed by sick stagehands, renegade cats, and crashing Christmas trees. Just when all hope is lost, we’re reminded that Christmastime brings miracles and surprises, and in this case help! Told in verse with wonderful whimsical illustrations, this story is made for holiday reading with your children, grandchildren or to just sit on a coffee table for guests to enjoy! 9781585368891

An Invisible Thread Christmas Story

In this remarkable true story by New York Times bestselling author Laura Schroff, we celebrate the act of giving to the less fortunate this holiday season! This gorgeous picture book is a based off of the bestselling adult book which tells the story of Schroff and her lifelong friendship with a boy named Maurice, who she met on the street, asking for change. This sweet picture book would be a great addition to any home during the holidays and is a wonderful story to read together with the family, reminding us what this Holiday season is all about. 9781481419307

If you’re looking for something other than a picture book to put you into the holiday spirit, what better than the sixteenth Christmas novel set in Thomas Kinkade’s beloved town of Cape Light!? Katherine Spencer continues this sweet series in the same style that she and Kinkade started in 2004. This addition follows best friends Molly Harding and Betty Bowman who own a bakery together that is unstable financially and dealing with the mad the holiday rush. This is a book that you won’t be able to put down as it whisks you into the perfect holiday world of hope, triumph and new beginnings. 9780425282212

Winter Stroll

If you’re looking for something with a little more drama to get you into the holiday spirit, check out the Winter series by Elin Hilderbrand. Featured in this year’s holiday catalog is the 2nd book in the series, Winter Stroll. The story follows Kelley Quinn, the owner of Nantucket’s Winter Street Inn and takes place during all of the chaos of Christmastime, bringing more delicious family drama than anyone could hope for in an easy-read series. 9780316261135

"I think that when we think about kids, we want to believe their lives are simpler than ours, but it’s completely untrue." How much real-world danger should we allow into the books our children read? That’s a question at the heart of this "Page-Turners" conversation with Laurel Snyder. 9781442428799

Like Walt Whitman, who sought to encompass the full range of the American experience in his poetry; like William Faulkner, who could see past prejudice to individual distinctions; like Mark Twain, who celebrated the freedom of the river and a refusal to be civilized—Sam was driven by a creative vision that left him with no alternative but to persist in his determination to give voice to those who had no voice. 9780316042741

The hard part about entering this bookstore is turning your back on the view that it faces. Elizabeth City is very close to the outer banks and there is a spectacular waterway view from the storefront. Of course, on the other hand, when you turn your back to the outside view you get another spectacular view of a fantastic independent bookstore. It's a win-win and you can't go wrong.

At the conclusion of the meal, I read a poem byJakeAdam York, an associate professor of English and creative writing at the University of Colorado Denver, who has written three books of poetry. The poem I read is titled “Grace.” It’s about barbecue. You read correctly: a poem about barbecue. Thankfully (pun intended), my friends responded the same way that I did when I first heard York read the poem at last month’s Southern Foodways Alliance symposium in Oxford, Miss. They were deeply moved by the sentiment of families and communities linked through time by the things we do for one another, including, of course, the foods we share with one another. 9780809333271

Morgan James was born in Middle Georgia, lived in several Southern cities growing up and then called Atlanta home for many years. She currently lives in Western North Carolina where she has abandoned the pay-check-world to write stories exploring the mysteries of the human heart. She is the author of the Promise McNeal mysteries and the contemporary novel, Sing Me An Old Song.

Quiet Hearts

In the third Promise McNeal mystery, Promise, Daniel and Susan travel to St. Simons and Jekyll Island, Georgia, in search of the perfect wedding location and a little sun and relaxation. But as the poet said about the best made plans of mice and men, they often go . . . well, you know the rest of it. All is not well in paradise and Promise wades into a killer's plan to keep long silenced secrets from rising out of the island fog..

Feeling overwhelmed by life's daily demands? Could you use some encouragement and inspiration in the kitchen? The"Too Blessed to Be Stressed Cookbook "to the rescue Each of the 100-plus recipes can be prepared in 20 minutes or less, plus you'll encounter some fabulous tips and suggestions as well as funny foodie quotes, scripture selections, humorous stories of cooking misadventures, and more, along the way. Recipes are arranged into 4 categories--Heart-Healthy, Soul-Fed, Time-Wise, and Company-Happy--and are accompanied by appealing full-color photographs. You'll cheer as you soak up the joy Debora M. Coty brings into your life and home

Josh Poteat is local and we are extremely proud of him for this achievement! The National Poetry Series s long tradition of promoting exceptional poetry from lesser-known poets delivers another outstanding collection of poetry by Joshua Poteat. Through an investigation of the haunted spaces where history collides with the modern southern American landscape, The Regret Histories explores themes of ruin and nostalgia, our relationship to a collective past, and the extraordinary indifference of time to memory. For thirty years, the National Poetry Series has discovered many new and emerging voices and has been instrumental in launching the careers of poets and writers such as Billy Collins, Mark Doty, Denis Johnson, Marie Howe, and Sherod Santos. So, read some local poetry, yo.

The Natural World of Winnie-The-Pooh: A Walk Through The Forest that Inspired the Hundred Acre WoodKathryn Aalto hardback $24.95 (Timber Press) 9781604695991

This is one you really must see in person. See Roo's Sandy Pit, Wren's Warren, and Poohsticks Bridge in photographs and drawings. Did you every play Poohsticks when you were little? I did. I decided to play it with our brand new fishing poles that we had just gotten for camping trips. Very expensive fishing poles. That was not a popular decision with my parents. (But they did make most excellent Poohsticks).

Need a quick gift to take to Sunday supper? This is a lovely little volume. The strong God of Exodus. The ancient poetry of the Psalms, and the eternal teachings of Proverbs. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the mystical beauty of John. The new heaven and earth of Revelation. Bible verses an enduring source of guidance, peace, and rejuvenation are here given a very special treatment in colorful letterpress illustrations that bring each phrase to life in a fresh and meaningful way. The verses are drawn from seven translations.

I met the author at Fire, Flour, and Fork this year and was fascinated by the journey she took to create this landmark book of culinary history. "The Jemima Code" presents more than 150 black cookbooks that range from a rare 1827 house servant's manual, the first book published by an African American in the trade, to modern classics by authors such as Edna Lewis and Vertamae Grosvenor. The books are arranged chronologically and illustrated with photos of their covers; many also display selected interior pages, including recipes. Tipton-Martin provides notes on the authors and their contributions and the significance of each book, while her chapter introductions summarize the cultural history reflected in the books that follow. These cookbooks offer firsthand evidence that African Americans cooked creative masterpieces from meager provisions, educated young chefs, operated food businesses, and nourished the African American community through the long struggle for human rights. "The Jemima Code" transforms America s most maligned kitchen servant into an inspirational and powerful model of culinary wisdom and cultural authority. I adore this book.

Just the right size to slip in a stocking, this is a great gift for the trivia lover. It is a history of 64 of the world's most useful tests and has a lot of tests in it too. So, why not use a few tests to figure out your family members around the holiday table? This could fill up hours and cause endless arguments! Aim high, my friends!

The follow-up to his bestseller Atlantic, Winchester has taken on a much larger topic in this tome: the history of the Pacific Ocean since 1950. It is a testimony to the author's talent that he was able to keep me vigorously engaged even as I was reading about difficult and unpleasant subjects. Divided into ten chapters, each covering a different topic, I felt I got just enough information about a particular topic (say, thermonuclear testing on Pacific islands and its lasting effects or the history of surfing culture) to leave me interested in learning more, but not so much that I felt bored or depressed. There are some weighty subjects in this book such as the devastation of superstorms, but there are an equal number of inspiring moments such as one man's successful attempt to save the albatross from extinction. Highly recommended!

Me, My Hair, and I is a collection of inspiring, emotional essays from women of all ages and walks of life who credit their hair for teaching them valuable lessons about their true selves. Learning to be comfortable with who you are, learning that you can change things that you don't like, and learning to fully embrace the things you love are some of the themes that resonated the most deeply for me, but the book is peppered with lots essays that don't convey heavy lessons--they're just pure fun! Me, My Hair, and I makes a great read for stylists, chemo patients, mothers, daughters, sisters, and anyone with (or without) a coiffure to love.

Carl Reviews: The Rest of Us Just Live HerePatrick Ness hardback $17.99 (Harper Teen) 9780062403162

This book is the answer to the recent trend of "chosen" hipster kids fighting vampires, werewolves, aliens, governments, evil minions, robots or whatever crazy things are happening. Instead, it focuses on everybody else, normal people who have very real stories of their own! This powerful and witty narrative is a reminder that being "ordinary" and just trying to get by in life is challenging and extraordinary in itself.

A noir, pulpy, detective novel about Raymond Electromatic who uses his PI credentials to hide the fact that he is really a hit man. Ada, his Artificial Intelligent boss, realized they'd make more money that way. He also happens to be the last robot on Earth. Each night his memory is wiped to make room for new data and Ada has to fill him in daily on his casework. This book is super rad.

Carl Reviews: King George: What Was His Problem?: Everything Your School Books Didn't Tell You About the American RevolutionSteve Shienkin, illus. Tim Robinson paperback $9.99 (Square Fish) 9781596435186

Want to sound like an expert about the American Revolution but don't get down with thick text like I do? (I know, I'm weird). Steve Sheinkin tells the story of our Revolution in a way that is hilariously educational, filled with anecdotes, quotes and pointed descriptions of the main players involved, as well as some of the "other guys" that most people never hear about. This book is geared for the middle school ages, but I'm an adult most of the time and I love it.

"On a bitter November day in Washington D.C. when everything felt metallic... thirteen-year-old Arthur Owens picked up a brick from the corner of a crumbling building and threw it at an old man's head." So begins this unexpected and disarming story of a young man sentenced by a judge to fulfill 120 hours of community service for the very same trash collector he intentionally harmed. As an unlikely respect forms between these two societal outsiders, Arthur soon learns there's more to the old man than meets the eye... and gradually begins to appreciate the power of artistic expression to transform loss and loneliness.

The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital RevolutionWalter Isaacson $17.99 paperback (Simon & Schuster) 9781476708706

Named a New York Times, Washington Post, and Financial Times Top 10 book when it was released in hardback last year, it is now available in paperback. Who knew reading about this subject could be so fascinating?!? Did you know that Lord Byron's daughter Ada was involved in the development of the first "thinking machines"? Did you know that email was invented in 1971 by a guy named Ray? And that he is still alive? And that if I ever find him he may not be for long? But let me put aside my homicidal urges for the holidays at least. This is an awesome read and a great gift. Bookseller Diane loved it too, though she promised me she'd hate it when I recommended it to her. People really should listen to me more.

I love everything about this book. So many literary authors are so busy with all this "Look at me! Aren't I clever and deep? Hey! Watch this! I'm really smart and I know words you have to look up!" that they lose the ability to tell a story and to move me. It's hard to be moved when someone is trying to impress so much. VanBooy never does this. Elegantly-crafted, effortless prose cradles the hearts of these stories and one novella. I was moved by the beauty of the words, the souls of the characters. I found my breath being taken away. I found myself sighing with connection. Masterful. Accessible. Classic. And one of the stories is dedicated to the memory of a goldfish that is no longer with us. I think you have to love that.

About Lady Banks

Lady Banks' Commonplace Book is a newsletter for people interested in Southern literature, sponsored by booksellers who are members of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) and featuring an overview of the literary news and events found on Authors 'Round the South. Written and edited by the charmingly in-the-know Lady Banks, her ladyship's Commonplace Book is a must read for devotees of Southern literary news and events.

Commonplace books first appeared during the Renaissance, where they were used as a way to deal the information overload of that era. They helped students select and organize tidbits of interest--medical recipes, quotes, letters, poems, proverbs, prayers, legal formulas. Commonplaces were used by readers, writers and students, and each commonplace book was unique to its owner.

The Lady Banks climbing rose (rosa banksaie) is ubiquitous throughout the South. It is one of the first roses to bloom in the spring, with its abundant yellow blossoms weighing down its thornless canes. Lady Banks roses have a sweet fragrance and can be found both in the carefully tended gardens of stately houses and in ditches along country roads.

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